Kigelia africana is a semi-hardy, very fast growing, deciduous, medium sized tree that can reach heights between 6 and 9m tall.
The large leaves are carried in clusters at the ends of the branches that are a coppery colour when young but a bright green when mature. During spring large, beautiful, dramatic, dark red, velvety, bell-shaped flowers are borne. The flowers attract multitudes of insects, birds and butterflies. The flowers are followed by thee trees feature, the distinctive, very large, sausage shaped fruits that can weigh anything between 3-7kg. An interesting fact about these trees are that they are mostly pollinated by bats and sometimes by birds.
Kigelia africana is a beautiful feature tree in your garden but avoid parking areas or driveways as the heavy fruit can cause some damage when they fall. It attracts many birds, insects and butterflies to the garden and is deciduous for merely a short period so gives shade for most of the year.
You may find stock of this plant at Random Harvest.
